Safety hook



Jan. 14,1936.

H. E. GRAU 2,275,357@

SAFETY HOOK Filed Aug. 1o, 1954 Patented Jan. 145 1936 UNITED STATESV PATENT OFFICE SAFETY HOOK Herbert E. Grau, Los Angeles, Calif., assgnor to Byron Jackson Co., Los Angeles, Califc, a corporation of Delaware Application August 10,1934, serial No. 739,255

9 claims. (ci. 24-232) This invention relates to safety hooks and, while the invention is applicable to hooks used for any specic purpose in lifting heavy loads, it is particularly useful when applied to the construction of safety hooks such as used in handling well tubing in oil Well derricks.

Hooks of this kind are commonly called tubing hooks and are usually provided with a safety latch to prevent the object-being hoisted from becoming dislodged from the hook. This latch is in the form oi a bar latched across the opening into the hook.

One oi the objects of the invention is to provide a hook of this kind with a latch bar which controlled; also to provide a hook o! this type in which the safety latch cannotV be opened while the hook is on the load. y

A further object of the invention is to provide a hook of this kind having a. latch which will close and lock automatically when the hook picks up the load; also to construct the hook in such a way that when the latch is in position to close the hook, it will operate to support a portion of the load on the hook, thereby greatly increasing the strength of the hook.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in novel parts and combinations of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an eiiicient safety, hook.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in folcwing specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation and partial sectionv through a hook illustrating an embodiment of my invention in which the upper end of the latch arm has an opening or eye to interlock with an abutment or lug on the hook.

Figure 2 is e. side elevation of a hook upon a reduced scale and illustrating another embodiment of the invention in which the upper end of the latch bar is formed with a T head received in a correspondingly shaped socket in the hook.

Figure 3 is a front elevation and partial section of the hook illustrated in Figure 2.

Referring more particularly to the parts, and especially to Figure l, I indicates the shank of the hook 2, which shank is supported to swivel on a swivel bearing 3 on the upper side of a trunnion body 4 having diametrically opposite trunnions is simple in construction and which can be readily v 5 supported on the forks of a bail 6, which ball is supported from a cable or chain when in use.

The hook 2 comprises a body 'l having a bight 8 at its lower portion where the bill 9 of the hook projects forwardly and upwardly. On this bill 9, and preferably at its end, I provide means for supporting a locking bar Ill, said locking bar being carried on a crosspin II. The upper portion of the hook body is provided with an outwardly projecting abutment or lug I2 that projects forwardly and when the locking bar IIJ is in its upright or locking position it engages over this abutment. The hook is preferably constructed so that the locking bar fits against the upper face I3 of this abutment. In the hook illustrated in Figure 1, the locking bar II) has a. central opening I4 which receives the abutment I2 and the upper face I5 of this opening seats upon the face I3. In this way, any strain on the bill of the hook will be resisted by developing tension in the locking bar I0 and this relieves the body of the hook of part of the tension that would ordinarily be developed in the body of such a hook.l

The locking bar Il) is provided with means extending inwardly at the upper side of the bill of the hook to prevent the locking bar from becoming displaced as long as there is a load on the hook. For this purpose I prefer to provide the locking bar I 0 with an integral finger I6 that projects inwardly along the upper sideof the bill of the hook and this finger is preferably received in a recess I1 formed in the upper side of one bill 9, (Figure l).

The hook is preferably provided with latching means for latching the locking bar in its upright position, in which it closes the hook. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 1, this latching means or latch, comprises a forwardly projecting arm I8 having a hub I9 that is mounted to rock on a crosspin 20. This latching means, or latch, is mounted in a recess or chamber 2I that exten-ds in from the back of the hook and also extends into the abutment I2 so that the forward portion of this recess givesl clearance for the arm I3 of the latch. This arm i8 has an end hook 22 which can engage a shoulder 23 on the upper end of the locking bar. In the present instance this shoulder forms the rear face oi' a recess 24 formed in the face I5 and this recess conforms substantially to the outline of the end hook 22 of the latch bar I8.

The latch has a rearwardly projecting operating lever 25 which is received in the rear portion of the recess 2|. The latch bar I8 is normally constrained toward its latching position by means of a coil spring 26 which, in the present instance, is located in a spring chamber 21 located above the chamber 2| and communicating with the same. 'I'he rear end of this spring thrusts against a lug 28 projecting upwardly from the upper side of the lever 25. If desired, a removable pin 29 may be provided extending across the recess 2| at the back of the hook and in a position to be engaged by a tail 20 on the lever 25. If this pin is put in place, the lever 2l cannot be operated to release the locking arm.

If the pin 29 is not used, or has been removed, the operator of the hook can reach into the recess 2| and seize the lever 2l with his iingers so as to pull it upwardly, thereby releasing the locking bar I0. As soon as the weight is taken oi! the hook, the link or eye carried in the hook for supporting the tubing, can be swung out of the hook, displacing the locking bar III toward the left as this occurs. The hub ot the locking bar III is preferably provided with a dog 3| to engage a stop shoulder 22 located at a recess Il in the forward end of the bill. 'I'his step holds the locking bar in a depressed position and leaves the opening into the hook unobstructed.

In the construction of this hook, the finger should be depressed suiliciently to insure that it will not take any of the weight of the link that is supported in the hook. It is merely held in a depressed position by the link on the hook.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, the locking arm or bar 34 is provided with a head 35 at its upper end so that shoulders 36 are formed as projecting abutments on the head to engage with corresponding shoulders 31 in a socket 3l formed in the forward side of the hook (see Fig. 3). When the locking arm is in its closed position, these shoulders engage with each other so that any tension on the hook will be partly borne by the locking bar.

The inner face of the head 3l is provided with a recess 39 into which the end hook 40 of the latch 4| extends. 'I'his latch is mounted on a pivot or pin 42 similar to the pin 20 and the latch is received in a recess or chamber 43 formed in the upper portion of the body of the hook. A spring 44 is mounted preferably as illustrated so that it extends in a substantially horizontal direction and so as to thrust against a lug 45 on the upper side of the latch. On account of the horizontal position of the spring, a jar to the hook in a vertical plane will not tend to compress the spring and release the hook accidentally. The rear end of the latch 4| is formed into a handle 46 at the back of the hook, and this handle is preferably recessed down into the back of the hook.

The end hook 40 is provided with an inclined edge 4`| at its tip which enables it to snap into place and engage a shoulder 48 in the recess 39 that corresponds to the shoulder 23. 'Ihis locking bar or arm 34 is also provided with a rigid finger 49 similar to the finger I6 and which performs the same function.

The upper end of the locking bars in both embodiments of the invention are constructed with inclined outer faces like the face 48 of Figure 2 so that when the hook is dragged along or when it is swinging about overhead, there is little tendency for the locking arm to be engaged by any part which might tend to pull the locking bar open.

Ihe end hook i24 of the latch arm I8 is preferably formed with an inclined forward edge similar to the inclined edge 41 of hook 40. that enables the latch arm to snap into locking position when the locking arm is swung up into place. The locking arm I8 will be swung up in this way when the link coming into the bight 8 of the hook, depresses the linger I6.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described herein is only one of the many embodiments this invention may take and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, nor in the claims, to the particular embodiments set forth.

What I claim is:

1. A safety hook comprising a hook-shaped body having an upwardly projecting bill, said body having an outwardly projecting abutment above the opening into the hook, a. locking bar pivotally attached to the bill, extending upwardly across the opening oi' the hook and engaging the upper face of the abutment so that the said locking bar supports a portion ofv the load on the hook, said locking bar capable of swinging down on its pivot to leave the opening into the hook unobstructed, and a latch pivotally mounted on the body of the hook and having means for engaging the upper end of the locking bar to hold the same in engagement with the abutment.

2. A safety hook comprising a hook-shaped body having an upwardly projecting bill, said body having an outwardly projecting abutment above the opening into the hook, a locking bar pivotally attached to the bill, extending upwardly across the opening of the hook and engaging the upper face of the abutment so that the said locking bar supports a portion of the load on the hook, a stop for supporting the lock` ing bar in a depressed position to maintain the hook open, a latch pivotally mounted on the body of the hook and having means'for engaging the upper end of the locking bar to hold the same in engagment with the abutment, and a spring associated with the latch for normally urging the same in a direction to engage the end of the locking bar.

3. A safety hook comprising a hook-shaped body having an upwardly projecting Abill, said body havingan abutment above the opening into the hook, a locking arm pivotally attached to the bill, extending upwardly across the opening of the hook and engaging the upper face of the abutment so that the said locking har supports a portion of the load on the hook, said locking arm capable of swinging down on its pivot to leave the opening into the hook unobxk structed, and a latch pivotally mounted on the body of the hook and having means for engaging the upper end of the locking bar to hold the same in engagement with the abutment, said locking bar having an integral ilnger projecting inwardly at the upper side of the bill so as to be engaged by a link hanging on the hook so that the link will maintain the locking bar in engagement with the abutment.

4. A safety hook comprising a hook-shaped.

body having an upwardly projecting bill, said body having an abutment above the opening into the hook', a locking bar pivotally attached to the bill, extending upwardly across the opening of the hook and engaging the upper face of thc abutment so that the said locking bar supports a portion of the load on the hook, and a latch pivotally mounted on the body of the hook and having means for engaging the upper end of the locking bar to hold the same in engagement with the abutment, said locking bar having an integral finger projecting inwardly at the upper hangingon. the hook to maintain the locking ybar the, abutment, a latch mountedon thebody having an arm extending toward'the yupper end'ot the locking bar, with a hook engaging the locking bar to retain the same on the abutment, said latch having 'an operatingl lever extending towardl the rear side of the hook body. v

5. A safety ,hook comprising a'hookshaped body having an upwardly projecting bill, said body having an abutment above the opening intol and having a shoulder at its upper end engaging the abutment and with the lower face of said shoulder engaging the upper face of the abutment so that a portion of the load on the hook is borne by the locking bar, a latch pivotally mount- 5 ed on the said body and having an arm projecting toward theiocking bar, said latch having an end hook for engaging the locking bar, said lockthe hook, a locking bar pivotallyattached to the bill, extending upwardly across the opening of the hook and engaging the upper face of thev abutment so that the said locking bar' supports a portion of the load onthe hook, and a latch pivotally mounted on-the body of the hook and having means for engaging the upper end of the locking bar to hold the same in engagement with the abutment, the upper side of the bill of the hook having-a recess therein, and said locking bar having a ilnger rigid therewith and vprojecting along said recess so that the upper side of the finger is engaged by a link hanging on the hook, thereby enabling the link to maintain the locking bar in engagement with the abutment;

6. A safetyv hook comprising a hook-shaped body with an upwardly projecting bill, said body having an outwardly projectingl abutment above the hook opening, a locking bar pivotally attaohed to the bill, extending upwardly therefrom and having a shoulder at its upper end engaging the abutment and with the lower face of said shoulder engaging the upper face of the abutment so that a portion of the load on the hook is borne by the locking bar, a latch pivotally mounted on said said body and having an arm projecting toward the locking bar, said latch having an end hook for engaging the locking bar.

said locking bar having a shoulder to engage the end hook, a spring for urging the latch in a direction to engage the locking bar, and an operating lever on the latch extending towardv the rear side of said body. i

'7. A safety hook comprising a hook-shaped body with an upwardly projecting billsaid body vhaving an outwardly projecting abutment above the hook opening, a locking arm pivotally attached to the bili, extending upwardly therefrom ing bar having a recess in the upper end thereofto engage the hook end, a spring for urging the latch in a direction to engage the hook end in said recess, and an operating lever on the latch extendingtoward the rear side of said body.

` 8. A safety hook .comprising a hook-shaped body having an upwardly projecting bill, said i body having an abutment above the opening into the hook, a locking bar pivotally attached to the bill extending upwardly across the opening of the hook and engaging the abutment, said abutment and the body of the hook having a latch cham-- ber formed therein, a latch received in said latch chamber and having an end-hook adjacent the upper end of the locking arm, said locking arm having a recess in the upper .end thereof for engaging the end-hook to retain the locking bar on the abutment, a spring in the latch-chamber engaging the latch to urge the same in a direction to engage the locking bar, said latch having an operating lever located at the back of the hook, said locking bar having a finger rigid therewith projecting inwardly along the bill of the hook to be engaged by a link hanging on the hook.

9. A safety hook comprising a hook-shaped body having an upwardly projecting bill, said body having an outwardlyprojecting abutment above the opening into the hook, a locking bar pivotally attached to the bill, extending upwardly across the opening of the hook and engaging the upper face of the abutment so that the said locking bar supports a portion of the load on the 40 hook, said locking bar capable of swinging down on its pivot to leave the opening into the hook unobstructed, a latch pivotally mounted on the body of the hook and having means for engag- 

